Senior year had finally arrived, and I was extremely excited and extremely terrified. I had always heard about senior year being one of the best years of your life. What I didn't know was how stressed I would be throughout it. My junior year of high school, my mom took me on a college trip to look at schools I was considering applying to. We looked at a number of SEC schools and I decided, while we were at it, to take a tour of a small private school called Belmont University, located in the heart of my favorite city, Nashville, Tennessee. I didn't know much about the school beforehand, just that it was music oriented and was in Nashville. Belmont was the first school we looked at while on our college trip, and consequently, I found it hard to concentrate on the other schools. I had fallen in love with Belmont, the beautiful campus, the friendly people, the entertainment majors they offered, and the fact that it was in my favorite city in the world. Brad Paisley and Florida Georgia Line had gone there. It was probably a mile away from where Taylor Swift lives. It was perfect...except for the price.

There was no way I was going to be able to afford a school with that price tag, so I continued to work hard, praying for a scholarship. In the fall I applied to Belmont, along with some SEC schools I liked: LSU, Alabama, Auburn, and Mississippi State. I slowly took schools off this list as the year progressed and was left with Belmont and Mississippi State. Mississippi Sate was always going to be an option. My whole family has gone to MSU; my parents, cousins, and siblings all bleed maroon and white. I've gone to football games since I was a baby. I lived in Starkville as a kid. It had that exciting SEC football atmosphere and Greek life I had always wanted. It was familiar, it was comfortable, but a part of me felt like it was too comfortable. I wanted to be the different one. I wanted to move to a big city. I wanted to be around music and the entertainment industry I had fallen in love with over the past few years. Belmont didn't have an SEC football team or big Greek life, but it had my heart.

I received a scholarship from Belmont, but it was nowhere near the amount of money I had hoped for. In my mind, however, I was still dreaming about this school, trying to figure out what loans I could take out here and there to make it work. I told my parents in March that I had decided, I was going to Belmont. They froze and looked at me, "That's just not possible, Shannon. It is your decision, but we thought you would realize that this just isn't a practical choice." My heart dropped. I burst into tears. This school, this life I had dreamed of, was being taken from me. I reluctantly decided to follow in the tradition to go to Mississippi State. I had a great scholarship, and it was the most "practical" choice. I slowly started to get excited for school, but as the summer went on, I still felt like this was the wrong choice. When I drove down to Starkville on August 7, I cried the whole way.

I moved in the next day, and everything changed. It took me about two days to start to fall in love. I went through sorority recruitment, and it was emotional and exhausting, as it is for everyone, but I found how easy it was to make friends. Saturday came and I screamed at the top of my lungs when I saw my house's name on that card. I ran (well actually walked) to my new home, and over the next week, I went to the house every day, meeting new people each day. I am now just over a month into college, and I can't imagine being anywhere else.

I have met the most incredible people. I have people around me who will stay up all night with me writing speeches, stay in the library with me till one in the morning, even when they don't have anything to do, just so I don't have to walk back alone. I have become a part of the most incredible sisterhood, surrounded by girls who will laugh with me until we cry, encourage me to keep going after a terrible day, put up with my sass, and love me unconditionally. I have a Big that takes on the role of my mom away from home. She gives me medicine when I'm sick, will order cookies and watch the VMA's with me, motivate me to do my best and (sometimes) work out. I have a roommate that will dance and eat pizza on the floor with me at 1 a.m. and doesn't get mad at me when my alarm wakes her up every morning. I rarely have a moment to myself, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I thought I would hate going where my family went because of the familiarity, but that's what makes it better. It is home. It has always been home, and always will be. I get to see my family more and genuinely appreciate it when I do.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I am happier than I have been in years, and to the high school seniors who feel like they have no idea what to do, don't worry if you end up going to a school that wasn't a part of your original plan. I'm sure I would have loved Belmont, and it is an incredible school, but that isn't where I am meant to be. Trust that everything is going to be okay. Have a little faith and smile. Don't stress, because no matter what is going on, everything happens for a reason, even though you may not realize it now. You're going to end up where you're meant to be, just like I did. My life here at Mississippi State is crazy, and emotional, and stressful at times, but this school has my heart and I wouldn't change a thing.